West End and Esher Commons walk

Oxshott station (2 trains an hour from Waterloo, 25 mins), is 3 stops outside Zone 6, but you could travel to Surbiton (Zone 6, frequent trains) and catch a frequent K3 bus (TFL, Oyster valid) to Esher or Claygate, and walk from there.

Car drivers can park for free in West End Common (Satnav: KT10 8LA), or one of the many car parks around the commons. Claygate, and West End Common are just off the A3 in SW London

Walk Notes

This is walk through several adjoining wooded commons on the Surrey / London border.

Its starts in West End, a lovely Surrey village (pond, ducks, cricket green, nice pub), with a large garden center, and heads south into West End and, then Esher Common (which has a small lake), which then leads to Oxshot Common (with a nice viewpoint).

Just off the route, is an NHS Garden (Claremont).

The commons have a very different feel in Summer and Winter when the trees are leaf-less.

Note: These directions are not detailed enough to do this walk without an OS map and compass. Even then, there are far more paths in the woods than appear on the map. A smartphone/GPS device would help!.

The outline directions are written as if starting at West End Common

Options

You can continue on, from Oxshott to Espsom through Princes Coverts and Ashtead Common (not written up, OS map required)

Walk Directions

The directions for this walk are also in a PDF (link above) which you can download on to a Kindle, tablet, or smartphone.
OpenStreetMap (not OS) mapping is used in the PDF for licence reasons.

These directions are an overview - they aren't detailed enough on their own for navigation though the woods. You should take an OS map with you.

Circular Walk, starting from the pub at West End Common.

Follow the quiet narrow road (West End Lane then Winterdown Road), with the cricket green on your left, and pub on your right.

Pass the entrance to Garson's Farm garden centre (cafe, parking)

Follow the road (round a 90° bend to the left). It becomes a track with a farm field on your right

After entering the forest bear right up a small rise to a steep drop

Follow the ridge (same direction as before) until you reach a wooden footpath sign

Follow the sign into the woods. Continue until you reach a small car park on the Portsmouth Road. You may get lost here, but just keep going until the Portsmouth Road - you're heading for a small car park.

Cross the road, and enter the woods by 3 parking spaces and a signpost

Follow the path, pass a crossroads, pass under some powerlines and pass a lake (Black Pond) on your left hand side.

Bear to the left and reach a bridge over the A3

Cross the bridge and take the first major left hand path

Follow the path, it turns right and ends in a T junction

Turn right and follow the path to a minor road (Sandy Lane)

Cross the minor road, and head into the woods.

Continue more or less straight on. Eventually you will reach a steep drop with a view. Go left until you reach a war memorial.

You can see Oxshott and its station below you

If starting at Oxshott station, turn left, and enter the common. Climb the escarpment in front of you to reach the war memorial

Pass the memorial, and follow a wide path back into the forest (back the way you came).

Skirt around a depression (a sandpit!)

Continue and reach the minor road (Sandy Lane again)

Cross the road by the car park and continue into the woods

Continue through them (there are many trails) until you come out on a 2 car wide track. Turn right until your reach the A3 bridge

Cross the bridge and after 100m, take the first horse wide track on your left. NB there is a parrallel path 25m further on, it ends in the same place.

After 200m, at the junction go 'to the left, then straight on' in the same direction as before.

Turn right to re-join the trail you were previously on. Pass back under the power cables to the main road.

Cross the road, and head straight into the woods. You will eventually come out on the cricket green at West End

Walk From Claygate to the 2 Commons

Cross over the railway line via a footpath. Once you reach the pylons, use them as a guide, and head west

Walk From Esher Station to the 2 Commons

Turn left out of main exit of Esher Station (i.e. not under the railway bridge), and walk down to the end of the road. At this junction, cross the busy Portsmouth Road, and carry on in the same directionaalong a path across Littleworth Common.

Join a quiet residential road, and carry on walking for 500m (crossing a main road) until you reach Arbrook Common

Follow the path, towards the A244 and the National Grid Power lines.

Cross the road, and follow the path under the powerlines. After a small incline, turn left, down an incline on a car wide track. At the bottom of the incline, turn right onto the horse wide trail at point [20] on the main walk. NB there are 2 parallel paths at this point. Either are fine.

Alternative walk via Ardbrook Common to Epsom Station

From Ardbrook Common (marked on the OS map), head southwest (footpath marked on the OS map), past Ardbrook farm under the A3 and the railway line (waterproof shoes needed in wet weather as underpass can flood)

At the next junction head south to explore Princes Coverts (Crown Land), or carry on, through 100 Acre wood (no proper path, not marked on the OS map, but route is marked on the Surrey streetmap), south of Chessington World of Adventures, towards Epsom Common (Corporation of London land). Continue towards Epsom (station outside zone 6)